Symphony in B Major
by Elia41
Summary: B is for betrayal. Backstab. One rule in espionage is: trust no one. Garland should've known he couldn't trust the mistake that was Kujaku. But he needed him, and so does Regent Cid of Lindblum. Can the regent trust a man who betrayed his homeworld in favor of the world he was meant to destroy? Well, a man willing to challenge an army to protect his brother cannot be that bad, huh?


**AN: I suggest you listen to the main theme of X-Men: First Class as you read this chapter. It really sets the tone.**

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**Awakening to the self**

He didn't remember how he came to awareness. One moment, everything was black and void. The next, he was in a capsule filled with liquid, floating, a pipe in his mouth allowing him to breathe. He looked left and right. There was blue, mainly, there was red and black … Someone with blonde hairs came in front of him and touched the glass. He put his hand on the other's, then placed his other hand on the glass. The person left. A twinge made him wince. Why did his chest hurt? He could feel something welling in him. It felt warm and alive, and it wanted out. He closed his eyes and focused on it, luring this energy through his arms and into the palm of his hands. And let out. The glass shattered. The liquid splashed and spread on the floor, taking him along. The pipe in his mouth didn't follow and he ended up gasping for air on the ground. The liquid was warm, but the stone floor was cold beneath. The air tasted organic and somewhat chemical. A shadow covered him, revealing an elderly man in black armor. Observing him. Slowly, he rose on his feet and locked his eyes into the man's. His legs were weak, but strong enough to support him. The liquid soaking him was making him feel cold.

"You … are …"

There was a blonde person beside the man. No emotion could be read on his face. The armored man looked at him.

"I am Garland, your master. And you are Kujaku."

He placed a hand on his chest.

"I … am?"

"Yes." Garland nodded. "You are Kujaku."

"Kujaku …"

The name felt strange in his mouth. The blonde person gave him a towel he dried himself with. This is how he became aware of his body. He was tall, 5'9 feet maybe. His skin was pale and he was wearing only white underwear to conceal the most intimate part of his anatomy. Neck-long silver hairs were falling on his back, a soft purplish hue highlighting them. Fur covered his forearms, chest, calf, outer part of his thighs and his crotch and he could feel a line of it running from the base of his head along his spine and all the way to his … tail? Yes, he had a tail. The way he shivered when touching it, there was no doubt this was a sensitive part of his anatomy. His built was slim and delicate, almost porcelain-like and very light. Finally, the liquid on the ground told him he had deep, navy-blue eyes and softened features.

"Come with me." Garland ordered.

He followed the man inside the building. They reached an arch that lit to turn in a bluish portal, which they crossed to enter a new building. A new twinge erupted in his chest, but this one felt different. He couldn't name it, nor could he name his previous feeling when the person left him. This twinge was much more ominous, just like the place they were now in. It was red and black, without the blue light to somewhat soothe him. Organic, evil, these were the terms he would've used for the place. Garland kept walking and he hurried behind. Winding corridors, glowing teleporters and shaking platforms led them to a room deep within the building. There were shelves of books, a table with chairs and a bed. From a part of the wall, Garland revealed an alcove containing clothes.

"Dress." Came the simple order.

"Yes, Garland."

The armored man frowned.

"Not Garland! You will call me Master, because this is what I am. Your master."

"Yes, Master."

Energy pooled inside him, running through his arms and into his hands. He didn't like the man's imperious tone. It made him want to use the energy against him. But, if he did, then what? He was empty, ignorant. Alone, he would trip and fall. He needed to remedy that. And if calling Garland 'Master' was going to help him, so be it. He could wait. Wait to know enough, wait to become strong enough. Then the energy would flow and shatter the man like it had shattered the glass of the capsule.

The clothes were made of a white codpiece and short purple skirt open on the front, as well as a white bolero with purple-colored shoulders and long white sleeves. Finally, the shoes were purple with white socks. It felt strange on his fur and was quite revealing. As Garland took a book from the shelves, he looked at the man.

"Master, what am I?"

Garland turned to him and gave him a book.

"This will give you the answer. Read. Every genome is born with the innate ability to read, speak and walk. You used the last two. Time to use the first, Kujaku."

He took the book and opened it. There were symbols chained together. These chains were of various lengths and separated by blank spaces. The moment he set his eyes on them, he was able to decipher them.

"_An introduction to the world of Terra. Chapter one: History._"

The book looked interesting. The pages didn't spot walls of text, instead being adorned with picture. This allowed him to understand what he was reading about. He had a glimpse of the landscape before being taken in the dark building. Endless blue with giant spore-like spires that seemed to be so tall … This was Terra, the dying world of Terra. The third chapter dealt with the genomes. Mindless vessels grown artificially in capsules, all strikingly similar with their blonde hairs, green eyes and tails and ageless looks … Except he was different. He was taller, at least two heads more than the genome that had given him the towel. Also, his eyes were blue and his hairs were silvery.

"Am I a genome too?" He asked himself out loud.

"You are." Garland answered from the door. "But you were made differently."

"Why?"

It wasn't a simple question. It was the wish to know. The desire to learn. His brain had absorbed the contents of the book like a dry sponge absorbed water. Garland looked into his eyes. What he saw made him frown.

"An accident. A mishap. The machine had a bug and created you the wrong way. This is why you are different."

He definitely didn't like his Master's tone. It was condescending, sad and weary. He wanted to use the energy again. But he held himself. Too early. Not yet. Later, he could unleash it and make Garland regret his tone. He returned to reading. Wait a minute …

"Is it why I am not with them? Because I was created the wrong way?"

"Yes. The way you were created was wrong. Usually, I destroy failures when I notice them. You, however …"

He knew what destroy meant. Garland would have made him disappear, but the way he was different was so that his Master had decided to spare him. The armored man's eyes pierced his being, scanning him as if he was naked.

"You have flaws, that much is for sure. But used the right way, they could become an asset. Have you read the chapter about Terra's history?"

"Yes."

"Then you know how our planet assimilates others to survive. We've found a new planet to assimilate, but our first try ended in a failure." Garland's eyes narrowed. "I will make use of your flaws to make this new planet ready for assimilation. You will train. You will learn. And when you are ready, you will go to this planet and weaken it enough so Terra can assimilate it. This will be your goal, Kujaku. Your purpose."

He nodded and returned to his readings. Despite being newly born, he was intelligent and a fast learner, though according to the book, all genomes were in order to increase their adaptability. Garland had made it clear: he was only alive because his Master had plans for him. As long as he would go along, he'd live. So he learned. Training would come when he knew enough.

Terra's time cycle followed a decimal count, with weeks called 'decades' lasting ten days rather than seven, and the years having ten months. In five days, he had read all the books regarding Terra. Not a single time did he go out during this time. Garland forbade it. His curiosity and thirst for knowledge made him turn to the rest of the library in his room. The first book he got his hands on explained one of the mysteries he had been wondering about since he became aware. It talked about magic. Tapping in the energy inside him, he channeled it to the palm of his hand. The sparks running through his arms, warm and pink, were in fact the raw magic he possessed inside of him. This made him curious. According to the other books, genomes had but a limited access to magic. Wondering about his limits, he put the tome on his bed and extended his hands toward the table, harnessing as much of the mystical energy he could. Soon, his entire body was covered with pink sparks. He quickly found out that the more he harnessed magic, the harder it was to control it. It took him a full minute to channel all the magic to his hands. Releasing it, however, took a blink of an eye.

Garland rushed in the room when he heard a loud boom, followed by the sound of crashing metal. What he saw left him speechless. The silver-haired genome was looking at what remained of the table, understand: a smoldered pile of scrap metal, with both hands open and a huge grin on his face. In fact, he was at the edge of giggling. The elder man glared at him and took the book on the bed.

"You start reading about magic and the first thing you do is blowing your table to scraps."

"I was always able to do that." He answered. "I was just wondering how far I could go."

Garland hit his forehead and sighed.

"Looks like your training will have to start earlier than I thought. Take this book and get your tail over here."

"Yes, Master!"

On the way, a question struck him.

"How comes the genomes are expressionless but I am able to have feelings?"

Garland looked at him. Of course, he had read about feelings, the soul and the relationship between the two. This was actually a chapter of one of the books about biology.

"Because you have a soul and they don't. And before you ask, yes, you having a soul is part of the accident that created you wrong. But, as you will learn, this is why your magical abilities are so great."

The two arrived in a large circular room that spotted dummies. Garland started explaining.

"The soul is what allows people to have feelings. The body allows interactions with the outside world, the mind allows thinking and understanding, but without a soul, one is but a machine of flesh and blood."

"I know this already."

"Fine. Now, magic in its basic state is heavily bound to one's ability to have feelings. Unlike the other genomes, you received a soul, which means you are naturally stronger than them when it comes to harnessing magic."

"If the table is anything to go by, I think I noticed …"

Garland growled and frowned.

"Enough with the smart talk! You shut up and you listen!"

"Yes Master …"

His sarcastic tone didn't escape Garland. It seemed his soul was particularly strong-willed. This would make him harder to control, but the man knew to tame rebellious minds. His new student was in no way the first occurrence of a soulled genome. So far, he had destroyed them upon meeting. Some had been docile, some had fought back. He would have destroyed the silver head, but his plan to restore Terra was entering a critical phase and he actually needed him. So he took on himself to teach the genome to harness his magical powers. He had no choice.

"Your magic is bound to your feelings. The wilder they are, the stronger your spells. Go to a dummy and throw magic at it."

He obeyed. Tapping in the energy inside, he did as he had done against the table. Garland raised a brow at the pink energy burst that burned the manikin.

"I see. This, Kujaku …" He showed him the manikin. "Is not a spell. It's just you hurling energy at a dummy. Magic is more subtle than that in its use. Take this book, read it and use the spells you'll learn against the dummies. No more pink energy burst. I want you to control, to master the magic in you. What you did is much too wild to be considered a spell."

He nodded, went against the wall and started reading. Soon, he was deeply taken in his study. The book was incredibly more interesting than the books about Terra. In a few minutes, he had understood the mechanics behind Fire. Five more were enough to understand Blizzard, but Thunder proved more difficult. His main problem was that, as soon as he knew about them, he wanted to try the spells. But he also knew that trying without being properly prepared could end badly. So he read. Three hours were enough to finish the tome. Only then did he turn to the dummies. When Garland came back, he found the first manikin … Wait, he didn't find it. All he found was a pile of ashes. The next was covered with ice while the other spotted very obvious zap marks. His student was looking at him expectantly. Garland raised a brow. He had left for only four hours.

"Mastering the first three elemental spells usually takes a decade. Do you really want me to believe you did it in a few hours?"

"Why not? They were easy to understand, tough I had trouble with Thunder."

"Then show me, Kujaku."

He nodded and turned to the frozen dummy. Energy was welling in him. He tapped in it, focusing to heat it up as he channeled it through his arms. Fire appeared in his hands. In a swift move, he hurled it against the dummy. Garland could only nod, especially after his student repeated the process with Blizzard and Thunder.

"Impressive! I think I greatly underestimated your abilities. Go back to your room … and don't destroy your new table! You have the dummies if you feel like casting spells."

"Understood, Master."

The rest of the decade was spent reading more about magic and learning new spells. He found it much more enjoyable than reading about Terra. At the end, he was finally allowed to return to Bran Bal and the surrounding areas. He couldn't go far, though. There were monsters around and his powers weren't great enough to fight them off. It didn't matter. Now, he could go outside and it was all that mattered. After a decade spent in the darkness of Pandemonium Castle, seeing the blue light of Terra was a relief. Except the blue light was due to Gaia's crystal. Terra's crystal was red. The reason this world was blue was because it was within Gaia following the incomplete fusion between the two worlds. His task would be to complete it. This was why he was training. Fire formed in his hand.

His name was Kujaku, the Souled Genome, and his goal was the restoration of Terra.

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**Kuja's birth was flawed. Garland created him, but it was an accident, a mistake. And the old man has no idea how big a mistake it was to let him live. Somebody's scemes are going to backfire spectacularly ...**

**So, did you like this chapter? The first two, three at best, will be about Kuja growing up. Then the story will really start and we'll hear some B.**

**See you soon!**


End file.
